Leadership

ARTISTIC ADVISERS

Eva Amsler

Eva Amsler Associate Professor of Flute at Florida State University, previously served on the faculty of the State Conservatory of Music in Feldkirch (Austria) since 1982, teaching flute, pedagogy, and chamber music. She also conducts master classes in Europe, the United States, and Asia. In addition, Ms. Amsler was a member of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland) for twenty years. A pioneer on the wooden flute, she organized a worldwide series of concerts with The Dorian Consort, and she has played various flutes in specially created concerts of new music with the ensemble ENIF - aktuelle Music. Her concert activity as soloist and chamber musician has brought her together with performers such as Aurele Nicolet, Barbara Schlick, and the Carmina Quartet. Ms. Amsler's CD recordings have been released on the Ambitus and Cavalli labels, and her performances have been broadcast in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and the United States.

nicole Chamberlain

Nicole Chamberlain is a composer and flutist living in Atlanta, GA. Nicole has also been commissioned by groups such as the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma Flute Society, Atlanta Flute Club, Flute Choir of Atlanta, Cuatro Puntos, Dahlia Flute Duo, Clibber Jones Ensemble, and Hopewell Middle School Symphonic Band among others. Nicole received her Bachelors in Music Composition from University of Georgia where she studied with Dr. William Davis, Dr. Leonard Ball, Dr. Lewis Nielson and Dr. Roger Vogel and was selected for masterclasses with Charles Wuorinen and Joan Tower. She has had works performed at the 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 National Flute Association Conventions. She also won the 2013 Areon Flutes International Composition Competition, 2nd place in the 2014 and 2016 Flute New Music Consortium, and 1st place in the 2015 The Flute View's Composition Competition. As a flutist, she has appeared with such groups as Georgia Symphony Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony, Gwinnett Ballet, duoATL, Terminus Ensemble, Chamber Cartel, and Perimeter Flutes. Nicole's former flute teachers have included Donna Orbavich (Hong Kong Symphony), Lisa Wienhold (Alabama Symphony), Dr. Ronald Waln (University of Georgia) and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's principal flutist, Christina Smith. www.nikkinotes.com

Jan Vinci

First Prizewinner of England's International Electric Music Performance Competition and recipient of a Classical Recording Foundation Award, Jan Vinci has performed in Carnegie, Alice Tully and Merkin Halls and for events such as the Blossom Festival, ICMC in The Netherlands, Electric Music Festival in England and Killington Music Festival. She is often the featured artist for flute club festivals and performs for NFA conventions. Vinci recorded 4 CD's on Albany Records. As an avid proponent of new works, Vinci’s recent projects include Pulitzer Prize winner Long Zhou’s “Confluence for solo flute” (as part of the Flute New Music Consortium), Carleton Macy's "Autumn Sky: Fantasy for flute and concert band," and Tom Stoneman’s “A Day in the Life for flute, hip-hop artist and electronics.” Vinci earned a D.M.A. from The Juilliard School, M.M. from The Cleveland Institute of Music, and B.M. from Bowling Green State University, studying with Julius Baker, Samuel Baron, Maurice Sharp and Judith Bentley. Vinci is Senior Artist-in-Residence at Skidmore College and often teaches master classes at colleges and for flute festivals.

FNMC LEADERSHIP

Shelley Martinson, President

An active performer, Shelley Martinson has appeared as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician throughout the United States. Martinson joined the faculty of Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2013, where she serves as Associate Professor of Music (Flute). An active performer, Martinson has appeared as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician throughout the United States. Martinson holds positions on the board of the Oklahoma Flute Society (Delegate) and the Flute New Music Consortium (President), and is chair of the National Flute Association's (NFA) Career and Artistic Development Committee. Recipient of the NFA's 2014 Graduate Research Competition, Martinson earned her DMA from Florida State University. Former teachers include Eva Amsler, George Pope, and Jan Vinci. www.shelleymartinson.com

Elizabeth Robinson, Vice President

In 2022, Elizabeth Robinson serves as Assistant Professor of Flute at South Dakota State University, holds the Diana Osterhout piccolo chair of the Topeka Symphony and coordinates FNMC’s annual New Music Composition Competition. Her debut album Aviary, features newly composed works for solo flute, solo piccolo, and flute quartet. Winner of the 2012 NFA Graduate Research Competition, her dissertation Voice, Itinerant, and Air: The Solo Flute Works of Toru Takemitsu, was presented at the 2012 NFA Convention.
. www.robinsonflute.com

Nicole Riner, Membership & Communication

Praised for her "luscious, full sound" (American Record Guide) and "effortless precision" (Flutist Quarterly), flutist Nicole Riner currently serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at University of Wyoming, where she teaches flute and chamber music. Nicole has commissioned and premiered new works by numerous composers as a solo artist and with her chamber group, Verismo Trio. Her live performances have been broadcast on Interlochen (MI) Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio, and Colorado Public Radio, where she had a recurring role as both writer and performer in the short-lived series, Telling Stories. She has also recorded for the Centaur, ACA, and Albany record labels. Nicole holds flute performance degrees from Indiana University (DM), Michigan State University, (MM), and University of Illinois (BM). www.nicoleriner.info

Ashley Shank, Finances

Ashley Shank teaches flute and chamber music at Lycoming College and is the director of the Music Preparatory Program, interim coordinator of music education, and teaches music education courses at Susquehanna University. Dr. Shank earned degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA: flute performance), The University of Akron (MM: flute performance and MM: music history), and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BS: music education). Shank has premiered several solo and chamber works for flute and, in conjunction with her primary area of research, is an advocate for little known works by Russian and Soviet composers. Her doctoral thesis A Handbook of Solo and Chamber Music for the Flute by Composers from Russian and the Former Soviet Republics was the winner of the 2015 National Flute Association Graduate Research Competition. www.ashleyshankflute.weebly.com

Emlyn Johnson, grants

Emlyn Johnson is co-director and flutist of Music in the American Wild, an initiative that brings site-inspired contemporary music to American national parks, landmarks, and other nontraditional venues. Dr. Johnson is an Instructor of Music at Missouri State University and has served as the flute instructor at several State University of New York institutions, as well as Career Advisor at Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership. Dr. Johnson performs regularly with new music ensembles including Ensemble Signal, Alla Balena Ensemble, and tuo duo, and additionally shares her enthusiasm and advocacy for new music as co-host of the podcast New Music Listening Club. She has served on the board of the Rochester Flute Association and currently serves as Flute Events Reporter for the National Flute Association. Dr. Johnson received her DMA from Eastman School of Music and holds additional degrees from Eastman and University of Michigan.

Gözde Çakır, Interview Coordinator

Gözde Çakır, a native of Turkey, graduated with her doctoral degree in Flute Performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory in May 2020. She is a member of Plaza Winds woodwind quintet. Recently, she released her single with Plaza Winds, a recording of the piece Winds from the Bosnia Woods by Turkish composer Hasan Uçarsu. Her quintet also received second prize at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition on March 8 th , 2020. She currently holds the second flute position at the Topeka Symphony Orchestra and is a teaching artist at Harmony Project Kansas City. She began her studies at the Cukurova University State Conservatory in Adana, Turkey. She was later accepted to Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul State Conservatory to continue her undergraduate degree in flute performance, studying under Vieri Bottazzini. Following graduation, she accepted a teaching assistant position at Central Michigan University in order to pursue a Master of Music in flute performance with Dr. Joanna Cowan White. She has received recognition at various competitions including second prize in the Izmir International Flute Competition, the Yamaha Scholarship Award, honorable mention at the Nixon Woodwind Competition at CMU, and winner of the concerto competition at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Gözde has performed throughout Turkey, United States, France, Switzerland and Kosovo, including: Opus Erasmus III Mélodie et poésie dans la musique contemporaine where she performed both orchestral and chamber music in Paris, International Istanbul Pera Music Festival, International Kosovo Music Festival called Zgijime Art. www.gozdecakirflute.com

Ai Yamaguchi, Visual and Multimedia Communications Chair

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Ai Yamaguchi is a doctoral candidate in flute performance and literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Master of Music degree in flute performance from University of Southern Mississippi where she has been awarded a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Ms. Yamaguchi is principal flute of the Urbana Pops Orchestra in 2014 and subs regularly with Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Champaign Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Danville Symphony Orchestra, and Indiana State University Regali Faculty Chamber Winds and Strings. Ms. Yamaguchi has been also selected as a second flutist in the Gulf Coast Symphony during 2008-2010 season in Mississippi and the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. Her principal teachers include Dr. Jonathan Keeble, Dr, Danilo Mezzadri, Dr. Christopher Chaffee, and Dr. Leslie Goldman Maaser.

Brittany Trotter, Publicity Chair

Brittany Trotter is an active soloist, orchestral and chamber performer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Along with being a Contributing Faculty in Flute at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, she also maintains a large private flute studio and teaches woodwinds at Waldorf School of Pittsburgh. A core member of the ReIgnite Trio and the Incidental Chamber Players, Trotter engages with the musical community in the Pittsburgh area by presenting engaging concerts of classical and contemporary chamber music. As a contemporary musician, her work as a soloist and involvement with Alia Musica has resulted in regional and world premieres in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A native of Laurel, MS, Trotter received her B.M and B.M.E from the University of Southern Mississippi, M.M at the University of Wyoming, and a DMA and Certificate in University Teaching at West Virginia University. Outside her professional performing and teaching life, she enjoys competitive running, crafting, and reading. www.brittanytrotterflute.com

Zoe sorrell, New Music Festival Chair

A profoundly gifted and innovative flutist” (Pittsburgh in the Round), Zoe Sorrell (she/her) is a radical activist, artist, and educator who is committed to the intersection of classical music and community care. In order to begin to the process of decolonizing classical music, Zoe believes that musicians must be held accountable as community members first and foremost. Zoe is therefore currently focused on curating radical spaces of growth at Westminster College, Chatham University, and Winchester Thurston K-12 school. In addition to being a musician, Zoe is a yogi, gardener, reader, lover of animals, and taker of naps.

Alan Berquist, corporate sponsor chair

Alan Berquist is the Flute Lecturer at California State University, Stanislaus and an avid student of Dalcroze Eurhythmics. He is the Composer Database Coordinator for the Institute for Composer Diversity, board member of the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra, and frequent judge for composition and performance competitions. A long-time member of the National Flute Association, he is a winner of the 2019 Convention Performers Competition, served as 2004 Associate Program Chair, and performed at the 2009, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021 conventions. Alan has performed with groups across the country including the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Astoria (NY) Symphony, Awesöme Orchestra Collective, and Brooklyn Wind Symphony. He is a co-founder and current performer with Etesian Duo and Ensemble 126. He earned his DM and BM in flute performance from Florida State University, MM from University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Certificate in Advanced Flute Studies from Carnegie Mellon University. His primary teachers include Eva Amsler, Stephanie Jutt, and Alberto Almarza. www.alanberquist.com

emily dierickx, Webmaster

Emily Dierickx (pronounced DEER-iks) is a flute performer and educator based in mid-Michigan where she is the Instructor of Flute at Albion College. As a solo, chamber, and orchestral musician, Emily enjoys presenting and performing throughout the United States. Emily and her husband, Zachary Dierickx, are passionate about their chamber group - Dierickx Duo. Since 2015, they have promoted, commissioned, and performed music for flute and clarinet. Emily earned her DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. She is also a proud Spartan and Buckeye having earned performance degrees from Michigan State University (B.M.) and The Ohio State University (M.M.). www.emilydierickx.com

Hannah Porter Occena

Hailed by the New York Times as possessing "rich tone and deft technique," flutist Hannah Porter Occeña (pronounced Ox-SEN-ya) is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of Northern Iowa and Principal Flute of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as a recitalist and orchestral musician throughout the United States and abroad. Comfortable playing repertoire written 400 years ago or 40 minutes ago, Hannah is committed to the rich heritage and new horizons of classical music and to sharing music in engaging ways with diverse audiences. When not performing or teaching, Hannah enjoys taking long runs and spending time with her husband and daughters.